Improvement in folding seats for school-desks



UNITED STATES PATENT (1r-FICHE URIAH- SMITH, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING SEATS FOR SCHOOL-DESKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,6 l1, dated May 25, 1875; application filed December 4, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itl known that I, URIAH SMITH, of the city of Battle Creek and State of Michigan, have invented an Improved Folding School- Seat, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to produce a school-seat that will readily adapt itself to the movement of the body of the student as he sits down or rises up at his desk. This is accomplished by so constructing the folding device that the rear edge of the seat shall rise instead of the front, as the seat is folded up, at the same time that the front is carried back from the student, as will appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and the following description:

Figure lis a perspective view ofthe seat,which does not materially differ in appearance from other folding seats. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing one each of the two seat-arms A, the two movable or vibratory braces B, the two lifting-arms (l, and one ofthe frames or standards D of a school seat and desk. Fig. 3 shows the same side elevation with the position of the different parts when the seat is folded up.

In constructing this seat, the arms A, which, with the slats secured thereto, compose the seat S, are hinged or pivoted at some point near their front end, as at f, to the vibratory arms or braces B, which are themselves piv oted at their lower extremities to the frame or standard at g. Back of their pivotal bearing at f the arms A have another similar bearing at e, where they are joined or pivoted to the arms C, which latter arms are pivoted to the frame at h. When the seat is in position for sitting the arms C are in a horizontal position, or nearly so, when they act as tension-arms, arresting the forward movement ofthe braces B, and holding the seat securely in place. To fold up the seat, the rear end is raised till the point c is above a straight line drawn between the points f and h, when a lateral pressure brought against the front edge of the seat, as by the limbs of the student in rising up, will press it back out of the way.

The arms G are pivoted at such a point rela tively to the braces B that they carry the rear end of the seat up, but hold it away from the back, at the same time that the braces B carry the front edge of the seat, with nearly a horizontal motion, back out of the way of the student. The seat being then in the position shown in Fig. 3 when the student resumes his seat, the weight of the body brought upon it in the act of sitting carries it down to the right position.

Springs may be attached at either of the points f, c, or h to lift the rear end of the seat, as above described, when it becomes self-acting, not requiring the use of the hands to operate it. Elastic cushions at fi, Fig. 3, forni a soft and noiseless bearing for the seat when in use. Stops at j prevent the seat from going back too far.

The joints at g are designed to work with sufficient friction to hold the seat in place when folded up.

It will be seen that the peculiarity of my invention consists in folding up the scat from the rear instead of the front. This is accomplished by having the seat entirely detached from the standards D, and hinged or pivoted to the braces B, which work on Xed points at g, and to the arms C, which braces and arms form a continuous bearing for the seat as it is raised and lowered.

I do not wish to claim the principles of a folding seat in a broad sense, but only the devices for folding it up from the rear instead of the front, and the combination and arrangement of parts, whereby'the rear edge is caused to rise instead of the front.

1 claim as my invention- The combination of the arms G and braces B with the seat S and standards D, constructed to operate substantic lly in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

URIAH SMITH.

Witnesses MosEs B. RUSSELL, FRED. M. WADLEIGH. 

